Creating Your Agency s Video Strategy

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In this, episode of agency, unfiltered we have Gabriel Margaux glio CEO. Of next any marketing, next. In he is based in Sarasota, Florida, there are HubSpot Platinum, Partner in whiskey, is first platinum partner in the United States, Gabriel. And I talk about video strategy, both, as a customer, service tool for his agency, and, as a service offering for his clients, he. Teaches you where, and how to get started with video today including. Budgeting, and allocating, resources for. Your first video service offering, that's ready to scale we. Then discuss the results a great thoughtful. Video strategy, has driven for, next in these customers, are. You ready let's, do it. Gabriel. Hello hey how are ya good man how you doing awesome. Obviously. Today we're talking about video, and, that's a, pretty general term right, so I mean there's a lot of different things we can unpack there but maybe the best place to start how, do you approach video, as a means of communicating. To. In delighting, the customers of your agency, we, start out with video like two years ago and actually, we come from video before, when we were like embedding, YouTube, videos on website sure we were not we were not intentional. About it we were just putting, videos on pages right so I feel, like two, years ago we decided after, Brian helling and said you. Need to hire a videographer another blogger next year and 50%. Of your content needs to be video we were like okay this is serious. We. Need. To make this happen and, we. Got, into okay how can we use video internally. First inside. The agency to actually make, it an agency, effort not just like me going crazy or, someone. Just a videographer. Doing something, on on the side so. We started using video for internal. Communication we, started using video for the knowledge base we started using video I said, okay rule if, you are gonna take a snapshot and actually. Explain on an email what that snapshot means, and then where'd you go next and then where to do next then, take, a video shoot a simple, video one, second, what like 30 seconds one minute and send. It or an email so that, started, the whole team going on a different. Mentality. About video, it's not about let's, create this big production to. Put up for, you know engagement. Or branding, let's, use video as a tool, that's a tool and an everyday, basis. So number, one was creating, video for communication, right. Customers. Potential. Customers throughout. The sales process are, you gonna leave a voicemail don't, create. A short video put, it on email send, it video. Voice mail then, you can track the email you can track the engagement on the video you, can see the video was forwarded, and they watched it fifty five times and that's beautiful because you can see how much they, really love that piece of content so it was more about. Ensure that video was part of a whole agency, and not. A product. A piece of you know something that we sell for $10,000.

Sure I feel, like just in case people aren't bought in on it which I think they should be but, you said okay you know attach a video send the email you can track the engagement, do you for your team have any comparison, data it's like emails. With video voicemails versus those that don't like how stark is the the difference I love when, you start talking about analytics. In video it's kind of weird, sometimes it's like well it's not really possible like, we've had that conversation for, years, where, we have amazing tools, where we can track everything but, then you you go down the rabbit hole where, it's, like okay. That video, for that email, did this and this video for that landing, page is that so I see. Analytics. For video two, types of analytics, I see one, is that kind of analytics, where he's like this, landing page now the engagement, we all know that when you put a video, on a landing page I think that the the, stuff is like 86%, more conversion, rate and really, how you see that, that it doubles, the the conversions, on the landing page so we definitely use video on emails, online name pages on websites um and, those analytic, analysis. Those analysis, are great to, understand, the impact, of video and specific, things but. Then we go the, complete opposite. And we say okay leads. That. Have watched video turning. Into customers, clothes at an, 18%. Leads. That haven't watched video clothes at a 6%. So, we, actually, connect, the dots between the. Video views, the, lead engagement. Nurturing, campaigns and see, it from more macro. View to, understand the real impact of video on turning. Leads into customer which is what, we do private revenue. Right exactly, so it's beautiful to be able to see that email or that campaign for the account manager for the person developing. The content the content so they can keep optimizing, over time iterating, but, it's beautiful to be able to see it as a as a whole you, know effort, and say okay it creates. More customers, period right now this, specific video that okay engagement, which is our video assets, as a whole and those numbers are real from one, of our customers, we're printing together a case study right now it's, person, without. Video like people, that haven't watched video that's 18, percent they're people that it's, amazing yeah triples yeah definitely, at. The very beginning you mentioned that, at. First you were just embedding maybe some YouTube's on websites or something like but then you became or, you started using like intention, or you started leveraging. Video like intentionally. So like how would you define intent, like, how does that change your approach to video like any tips or tricks for someone looking to get started I feel it's, all about strategy right like everything else you can't just write blogs right you know, who you're talking to you need to know what their needs are why, you have, a solution that might resonate, with what they need so in the end is setting, up a strategy, so you don't just like create videos all the time for no reason at all sure you might have great things to share but if you don't understand who you're talking to if you don't understand, when.

They're Gonna, watch this video where, they're gonna watch this video is it Facebook, is it on the website is it on an email so you need to start thinking about that so strategy needs to understand channel, needs, to understanding, 10 and you still not understood the goal of the video there has to be clear goals I feel like that is key, are you trying to convert leads are you trying to get more engagement are you trying to close a customer, so it's the video that you create as a sales person you, know shooting a video voicemail or maybe you had an export or a call shariah and you want to say hey it was great like that's a completely different video than some. Product, video right or, a video, that you want to take someone that's a visitor into, a lead so. So one thing that we've seen through, strategies, like we, even change the way we create websites it used to be that we created the, website with the content and then we slap videos, sure wherever we could okay we have 15 videos let's put them all in the homepage right yeah or we, have one video let's put it there now it's like we. Have the same way we, used, to wrap websites, around content, yeah videos just another piece of content, that needs to be taken into consideration so, we're building websites, around, video. Right so which is relaunch, our website, and and. One thing we realize is that we we, decided which pieces of content we had to create for these specific pages, we. Created all that content, text. And video and then, we created the design and the structure, and the way the flow around. That, and it makes so much sense you get more engagement you get again in the end is all about getting more plays more, engagement, more clicks, more conversions it's, a trite one one simple, thing we did through this is, we. Saw, that you. Know people were applying to work for jobs or another company of course we do inbound. Lead generation about, hiring right so for ourselves we're. Constantly hiring we're constantly under viewing, and, we do the whole process in an in my way well, we saw that the same website, now with the, new website with videos and the new structure and everything we got like triple, the the the people wanting, to work for us however those people were coming already. To the website but now they were getting a different story, they were getting the full story of who we are why. And, again we are fueled by video, backed, by data and that's who we are so now they can see it mm-hmm, right they see their videos they understand, why right so I mean the long and short of it is rather than having a website in this example and then finally okay well we have these videos let's kind of just put them on right the cherry on top of the sundae you're going all the way at the very first step right the initial planning or game plan or mapping and you're, incorporating and, building the site, infrastructure, around okay what videos do we want to yeah so it's all the way from the start of the plan and the same way we see analytics, s okay this little thing and then the macro, we, see video, as different.

Ways To use it as we were talking about one is like let's, set up a strategy, and make sure that we're, intentional. About the goal of this video and then we have the complete, opposite, which is okay we had we, all all agencies, have a Content, issue the content issue is we, need to find the right voice we need to develop by a personas. We need to understand the product, and in, order to be able to do that you need time you need to do research and when you start with an engagement the first thing you need is quick witness right, right so, content. Is a really. Hard thing to do, create. Quick, wings for okay we just got a new customer first week listen, schedule a feed a video shoot and they're like what, do you mean a video shoot you don't even know who yeah, just bring a cell spur to your best salesperson bring, you the best service person, mm-hmm product, person engineers. Put. Them on front in front of the camera if I send them a. Spreadsheet. If I send them a cheat, sheet or if I send them like an email, give me bullets, on or send, me a blog they will never do it they did months to actually respond to those emails nobody wants to sit down and write you, put them in front of the camera and say tell, me the five things you get questions, every day tell me that questions you get from your forum, your prospects, every day tell, me five, reasons why your product is amazing, and is better than the competitors so, those. Video if the video is great we. Use the video and we also create a blog if the, video is not so great if we use the sound and we'll use b-roll, great. A lot and if nothing is good which, is create a blog but we're creating, content, from day one, by. Using video as a tool, so, if you're using video as a product, you have to go strategy. You need to create. Goals and everything, you. Can use it as a communication, tool but, you can also use it as a tool, to to, run your business and I feel like that's the power of video video is part of absolutely, everything, that's, exactly it right I mean in your example you were talking about okay who are we gonna bring into this video shoot it's, like when you think about video okay maybe it's like a recording, like you said a video voicemail or maybe you like the culture video about who we are but it goes across the entire business marketing sales customer, service product.

Engineering, All of it video there's an opportunity for video there is yeah. Going. Back quickly about how you incorporated, a video and, it you saw like conversions, for candidates. Like - right so, when I think about like one of those like culture videos or who we are videos I, visualize. Like a lot more production, than say a video voicemail, so how do you balance. Production. Or like the quality, of the video versus, you know the the speed in which we want to get, it out there and I feel like some agencies, most agencies that are starting with video the, the, problem is they're afraid of that they're, afraid of the production, there we, don't have a show. We. Now have a videographer who, has a viewer for nobody like I don't have millions of dollars to hire a videographer right and and thousands, and thousands dollars of equipment well it's the complete. Opposite, you start with I always talk about this it's, like you start with an iPhone with a cheap, tripod 50, bucks in Amazon, and like, some lighting, said 100, bucks right so you, start doing that and then you start adding layers. Of complexity, and layers of quality, and, my. The best thing that we could what, we did internally. Instead, of going and spending. Ten thousand dollars on equipment and hiring, a videographer and, going, you know let's become a Hollywood production studio. What. We did is the complete opposite, we said okay you're creative, someone already in the company that was awesome, and she, was like she loved photography she. Was already a designer, she, has a great eye for design, she. Loves, Instagram, she does videos at all the time so I was like ok you, would. You like to take on this new challenge this. Is a challenge, it's gonna be really hard but, I'm gonna support you 100%, and it's. Gonna be a huge opportunity you, will build our video, product, and we together will make this go, across the whole organization. And she, was like yeah let's do it this is amazing so in, that. Moment if, you found the right person to, do it then, the only thing you need to do is just give them all the resources think oh you need another camera here it is yeah you need a thousand, dollars here it is you need more time stop doing all this start doing so I feel like empowering. Those people especially creative, people you need to give them space you need to give them give them my room put. A project management, tool to like, you know manage, dirt you need to make sure that they have their creative, time they have their, moments to actually, you, know create. That magic yeah that needs to happen in the creative side of things and, then support them with everything, like equipment. Time education. So we teamed, up and partner, with amazing people and great, great tools and make, sure that not only we're looking at the production, side of video, but also the marketing side of the conversion, side of video so we all learn about, this whole new way of doing, marketing, sales and surveys. By. Using video as a channel, as a tool as it. Medium, to actually communicate going. Back to production, I feel like it's it's it's just a matter of time you need to start slow you need to make, sure you start because if you're, if you're afraid. Of the big production you're, never gonna go into the right right so especially for agencies, you're doing so many things you're creating content your conversions. All these things that you need to take care of for, your customers, in, the case of video you need to start once you start it you. Can layer a GB and layer on top and then, when. You're creating, more advanced. More, intent. Driven, videos. Then. You start okay sound. Is not so good we need new microphones, oh we need a lot pal Michael we need oh it's. Not just okay let's put a camera and shoot it's, more lighting, is crucial. You know more, than one camera is crucial, you need special. Microphones. To make sure that the sound is great you need a space, to do this and then, you start having fun and seriously, for me it sounds like a lot of work for a lot of people I'm, telling you I have I've had the best, two years of our agency, developing. This whole new thing that's great and then and then once this is developing, off the ground then, you hire your, first videographer.

Yeah And that is beautiful. Because once that happens then. You take it to the next level because they come with all their knowledge and they're like so sighs doing great things but this is not okay we need to fix this oh yeah, course correct that's a good trade and that's what we did we had to figure, it out for ourselves and, then we brought the experts but you do that one you're ready you'd run that when you're, already doing some production stuff so before you get to the videographer, you mentioned trying to identify the person the creative type that seems to like hey are you gonna be able to own this as a new. Initiative did. Anything stand out to you in regards to like training, or education resources. Like anywhere you would suggest agencies point their people to anything, in particular, internally. To their team yeah so yeah you Brit like you mentioned the creative type already on Instagram or II yet I for creative, and you went out with a video initiative how, did you train her or, what resources did she leave again, we, always go back to our partners, right so we you, guys hops what is our number one partner, and we couldn't live without hops what right so hops off puts out amazing. Content, that, teaches everybody how to do things we teamed up with Wistia two years ago and that was amazing because they put out you know specific, content about video and we teamed not with so, many other we're very we're. Very big on the ecosystem, where, we can actually get integrations. To know better things I'm, really excited about the whole hops off video I think it's gonna be amazing because it's gonna get for sure everybody. Excited, about video I'm, really. Really, excited about it I think, that hops. Would always put. Up great. Content, about it but, but again let, them let, them do their own research, I always, show them the way okay, you go sir get certified, on top spot you know you go check these videos you go check these sessions, on. Conferences. And stuff but. Then go, do your own research and, and explore. Yeah, that I think that's key for creative, people you need to let them explore, sure to, learn by, themselves and they're gonna surprise you every time I mean there's a wealth of knowledge if you just yeah if you do the right Google search but it sounds like if you're a partner, there's a whole community that you can lean on but, just go to the leaders I think you mentioned whisky I mean there's just a ton of leaders. In the space that should have content. Pivoting. Over to like are helping, your clients. And they're your customers with their video initiatives, how do you work that into the retainer is it a particular line item or is it just kind of infused in all the other deliverables and things you work on how does that how does that fit in yeah we always start when we start with a new new. And new endeavor like what we did with video, two years ago it was it's, always like okay listen like, try. To ourselves, see how it works start, growing, and then we go out and we say okay we're gonna shoot video for free for you we're gonna do a video shoot we're gonna schedule, this not, forever we're gonna do once and we're gonna create, two three videos maybe a welcome video for your homepage I'll show you how to do a video for your sales team and we. Get them excited and then we introduce. These new, things into email, you, know lunding. Pages home, pages once that starts to happen then. It's really easy to go back and, have a conversation of okay, this is something that you need to be doing here's. The results that you already got out of yeah that, conversation, is so much easier then hey, I'm doing this new thing you need to pay me for it right so so, I feel like that is the beginning of, how you can introduce the. The product, of video at. The same time for. Us once. We realize video was everything. It was into, every, single aspect of inbound, marketing sales and service yeah we, said we, can never do retainers, without video right so the same way we'd no longer an option to not have that at the same way we decided, we. Will never work with someone that doesn't want to work with HubSpot, for example everybody every. Scene one of our customers is a hops web customer the, same way we decided every. Single one of those websites have to be in the hops with CMS because, it's the best CMS, in the market so the same way we make those decisions we said video, has to be part, of every, retainer so at, that time we were like okay this is part of the retainer and it is there it's not an option, you can't say well, we, don't really need video oh you need video and, you better do it and if you if we're not the right agency for you definitely, there's, is.

It Ever a frictional copy, never. A frictional. Conversation. And the reason why I always talk about this this there's the real value, of video which is like yeah higher conversions. It's beautiful you know it's it's like there there is real value right but then there's the perceived, value of V and the perceived value of videos huge, people. Think video is hard but, the, same reason that companies. And agencies don't go into video because it's hard and it's expensive and you need specialists the, same it that's that is your, key, to selling, the product because everybody. Thinks that video, is hard yeah, therefore. It's. So easy, to show, the. Value, of video you can just add two thousand dollars to absolutely, every, retainer tell them that you're gonna judge the video that's how we just, just an example two thousand dollars one, video shoot a quarter, to up to 200. I, call them, semi-professional. Videos all right after two semi-professional. Videos, everybody's. Happy and then. You'll decide okay, I need to do more shoes I need to do more videos and we, always do more for the customer, so they extra, value um, and then, everybody's, happy I said I mean again the perceived value but then there's a little more room for the actual like the actual you don't have to show into. It exactly and you don't have to show them success, with video and say the ROI, went, from two point one to two point two percent nobody's, gonna expect that from, even the first year, of retainer, with video, specific, show you're gonna be doing all the other inbound things that are amazing but, you're you don't have to show them success, with video, right. Away because. The quick wing with video is that videos hot video is what, everybody, wants video is hard and then, their, faces, their same, beautiful things about their product and they love, it that's awesome I feel like that's the huge, it's, so easy if you think about it the whole hard/expensive, it's. So easy, and that's why video is so beautiful, for for marketing sales and service and if anything gets, started, again don't let the idea, of a major studio and specialists, in videographer, don't let that get in the way you, can start the at, a pretty inexpensive way, now build on top make it happen yeah make it about last. Question for you I ask this to everybody never really sure kind. Of where it takes us mmm-hmm what, would you say is the, weirdest. Strangest. Part, of agency. Life the. Weird, is part, of agency. Live because. At least one weird thing has had to happen to you I think. Managing people is always funny, and fun and like sometimes, you. Have to you have to go, where you, know no. Man has. I'm. A tricky but I'm not showing how, tricky, I am I feel. Like managing. People sometimes, is I don't. Know if it's weird it's hard though yeah, so, for. Us is very important to find the right partners, so, all of our customers, are actually partners. And find, the right employees in. Our team and find the right you know. Partners. In the you know developers. And all software's so. That. Balance creates. Sometimes, friction, sometimes we need to fire customers, and then we need to and that is, sometimes. It requires an, extra level of awareness now, if you're talking about like crazy. Weird, stuff. We. Try to avoid those but, we have a lot of you find in the office yeah that's a good thing I think. That the, toughest thing is is managing. People. That's the that's the one thing in business that you need to become so. Good at and actually, understanding. Who's. Good. For what like the right people in the right place yeah internally, and externally I, don't think a lot of agencies do that they if. They take care of their team that's amazing, and a lot of them do is the only way to grow but, it's also the customers, you can't work for everybody you can't just like, you're. Not selling, candy, you are this is a partnership, and it will only work, if, we, work together, yeah be strategic with who you say yes to and be open, to sometimes, saying, no we're rerouting and there's some weird people out there that are not a Ferrari. People. Are weird.

Especially. If you're creative, you can be weird. You know for it so. I think that wraps I mean this was a video on video but you know I appreciate you coming in Mouse and I'll catch you next time thank. You pleasure if you like what you watched make, sure to subscribe to our agency, unfiltered, newsletter, which, will remind you when the next episode drops, as well, as send you a ton, of other, helpful, strategically. Curated. Agency content, you. Could also subscribe to our channel on youtube or podcast, on soundcloud, and if you want to keep the conversation going tweet. Me at kevin, underscore. Done remember. Keep, it unfiltered, stay, weird, I'm, Kevin Dunn and I'll see you next time. You.

2019-01-08

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